The Swap
by Ariel Hedgehog
Summary: A surprising ending to the search for a missing item.


I don't own the characters in this story, I just enjoy their company.

Please if you like my story leave me a review, if you don't like it don't read it.

A HUGE thank you to Eridani Moon for the beta and the friendship.

**The Swap**

Helena turned off the water and wrung out the excess water from her long hair and sighed in pleasure. That shower had been _long_ overdue. She pulled the shower curtain and was surprised to see Dickens lying on the bathroom counter, looking at her with his eyes half-closed. Feeling exposed, she hurried to take her towel and dry herself. Then she quickly dressed and dried her hair with a smaller towel. Once done, she put her locket around her neck and looked for her ring but couldn't find it. Annoyed, she went to look for it in the bedroom; although she was sure she had taken it off in the bathroom and put it next to her locket on the bathroom counter as she always did when she took a shower. Helena didn't find her ring in the bedroom so she went back to the bathroom. Maybe it had fallen on the floor.

After a close inspection of the bathroom floor, Helena was starting to panic. Where had she put her ring? It was a family heirloom and she hadn't gone to all the trouble to get it back from the Escher Vault just to lose it idiotically in the bathroom!

"Stop panicking and start thinking!" she chastised herself. Where could a ring go? Then her eyes fell on the sink. Oh no! She looked in the drain but couldn't see anything. Helena rushed to the bedroom and retrieved a hanger and a pair of pliers. She went back to the bathroom and managed to make a long-handled hook with the hanger. She spent 20 minutes trying to find her ring and get it back up the drain, but nothing other than long hair came out. Frustrated, she threw her makeshift hook across the room.

Then with a burst of inspiration, she went to the basement of the B&B where Leena kept her bigger tools and then ran back to the bathroom with a pipe wrench. It didn't take her long to undo the pipe and shake it to get her ring back. Nothing. The pipe was empty. That's when Dickens came in and stretched out on her stomach, purring softly. Helena frowned at him. She didn't know why Myka had insisted they bring him back with them after they went to empty Emily Lake's apartment. He was always going where he shouldn't go; like the top of the fridge, and chewed every wire he could find. Not to mention he liked to eat rubber bands... and he absolutely could have eaten her ring!

Helena jumped to her feet, muttering a foul curse as she banged her head on the counter. Her quick actions and her swearing spooked Dickens, who ran away after issuing a hiss. Rubbing her forehead where a bump was already growing, Helena started chasing Dickens. The cat was very scared now and kept evading Helena who couldn't help herself and yelled at him

That's how Myka found them half an hour later. Helena's hair was a tangled mess, she had a bruised bump on her forehead and claw marks on her arms.

Crossing her arms, Myka demanded, "What's going on here?"

"Myka! Quick! Help me catch Dickens, he ate my ring and I want it back!" yelled the Brit while running from the kitchen to the living room.

Confusion filled Myka's face as she questioned, "What?"

"The cat ate my ring while I was in the shower." Indicating the cowering cat, Helena explained, "We need to get him so I can open him!"

Myka stepped in front of Helena, blocking her way.

Narrowing her eyes in frustration, Helena stamped her foot and growled, "Myka! You're not helping!"

She tried to get around the other woman but the agent took her wrists in her hands to get her to listen.

"Helena, there will be no cat opening. If there's a problem we'll get him to the vet, otherwise we will let nature take its course."

"But..." Chewing her bottom lip in indecision, Helena started to argue, but was cut off by Myka's refusal.

"No buts! Now let's get you cleaned up. You look like you could use another shower. And we need to take care of these claw marks."

Helena didn't protest. Myka was right, she had overreacted. Myka led her to the bathroom where the saw the piping disaster. Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Oh Helena!"

Helena felt ashamed. She had made a huge mess and still didn't have her ring. Shrugging her shoulders she apologized, "I'm sorry Myka. At first I thought the ring had fallen into the drain."

Understanding dawned on Myka. "So you had to take it apart to be sure it wasn't in there?"

Helena nodded. Myka offered a sorry little smile as she felt her heart melt. "Helena, it is I who should be sorry. I took your ring. I snuck into the bathroom while you were showering and I took it."

The Brit was speechless for a moment.

"But why? You know how much it means to me. Why would you do that?"

Myka reached into her pants pocket and produced a diamond ring. A sheepish smile crossed her lips as she quietly replied, "Because I was hoping you'd wear this ring too."

Myka dropped to a knee on the floor and held Helena's left hand in hers. Her hand trembled as she whispered, "Helena Wells, would you become my wife?"

Joy filled the other woman's face as she gasped, "Yes!"

Myka smiled and put the ring on Helena's finger then got up to kiss her fiancée. The kiss quickly became more and more passionate and the couple went to their bedroom to celebrate their engagement.

Several hours later, they were woken up by a yell.

"What happened in the bathroom?"

The End


End file.
